The Würth Group closed a challenging 2024 fiscal year reporting sales of €20.2 billion. Adjusted for currencies, this corresponds to a decline of 0.3%. At €940 million, the operating result was down on the previous year (2023: €1,455 million), yet it is still the fourth-highest result in the Group’s history.
“Given the economic conditions in the past fiscal year and the resulting implications, we are pleased with the result we have achieved,” said Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Management Board of the Würth Group.
Apart from cost increases, the weak economy in the manufacturing industry also had an impact on the Group’s business development. The result was further burdened by high investments and the resulting depreciation and amortization. However, investments are important for the future growth of the Würth Group. The Group invested €1.2 billion, primarily in its IT infrastructure and warehouse capacities of its distribution companies, as well as in production buildings, technical equipment, and machinery for the production companies.
In Germany, the Würth Group generated sales of almost €8 billion in 2024. Accounting for 39% of sales, Germany is the most important individual market for the Würth Group. Outside Germany, the Würth Group’s sales grew slightly by 1.2% compared to the previous year. Southern Europe, the Group’s second most important market reported growth of 3.8% to more than € 3.1 billion. This growth was strongly influenced by the acquisition of the electrical wholesaler IDG 01 S.p.A. based in western Italy. Southern Europe contributes a share of 15.5% to the Group’s total sales volume.
The Würth Group gained a total of 1,346 new employees through acquisitions in the 2024 fiscal year and employed 88,393 people at the end of the year. Around 44,900 of these employees work in the sales force.
Recently, the 2025 economic growth forecasts for Germany were reduced significantly. According to German economic research institution Ifo Institute, the German gross domestic product is unlikely to increase by more than 0.1%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the global economy to grow at 2.8%, clearly below what was expected in January 2025. “According to experts, the outlook for growth in the 2025 fiscal year is bleak. Nevertheless, we see the good development of the companies in the Chemicals unit, which were able to build on the previous year’s success in the first quarter of 2025, as a ray of hope for 2025,” said Friedmann.
“Our top priority is securing the Würth Group’s long-term success based on healthy and sustainable growth. We can count on the partnership with our more than four million customers worldwide and benefit from the support of the Würth family. In addition, the Group’s heterogeneous structure across different industries and regions as well as our business model provide us with the necessary stability,” concluded Friedmann.
